SHARK VS SHARK

Great hammerheadvsOtodus obliquus

Length, weight and bite evidence—plus context from a human, city bus and blue whale. Every number below carries its uncertainty with it.

LivingSphyrna mokarran×ExtinctOtodus obliquus
QUICK VERDICT

Otodus obliquus is about 1.49× longer by these reference values.

Otodus obliquus uses a 9.1 m upper reference, compared with 6.1 m for Great hammerhead. A clean mass ratio is not shown because at least one weight is not reliably reconstructed.

01

ON THE SAME SCALE

Human. Bus. Whale.
Pick your reference.

RELATIVE LENGTH · 0–24 METERS
AGreat hammerheadreported to 6.1 m / 20 ft
BOtodus obliquusestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft
REFAdult human1.8 m · about 80 kg

Length bars use upper comparison values and do not show body depth, tail proportion or typical adult size. A long thresher tail, for example, does not equal whale-shark body mass.

02

THE NUMBERS

Side by side.

MeasureGreat hammerheadOtodus obliquus
Length referencereported to 6.1 m / 20 ftestimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft
Weight referencerecorded to about 450 kg / 991 lbNot reliably reconstructed
Bite forceNo dependable maximum foundUnknownNo defensible estimate usedUnknown
TimeTropical coastal and offshore watersabout 56–45 million years ago
DietRays, fish and smaller sharksLarge fishes and marine vertebrates
03

WHAT THE DATA CAN SAY

Size is not the whole animal.

Length and weight

Great hammerhead is represented by reported to 6.1 m / 20 ft; Otodus obliquus by estimated to about 9.1 m / 30 ft. The comparison uses the largest reported length and a record mass. Soft-body dimensions are inferred from teeth and living analogues.

Bite evidence

Great hammerhead: Comparative biomechanics exist, but a simple verified maximum is not established here. Otodus obliquus: No species-specific model is used.

Living versus extinct

At least one animal is known from fossils. Fossil length, weight and bite estimates depend on which living analogues and scaling equations researchers choose.

Ecology changes the matchup

Its wide head is a sensory platform, not just an unusual silhouette. It belonged to the megatooth lineage that later produced megalodon.

04

TRACE THE CLAIMS

Sources and limits.

Great hammerheadFlorida MuseumOtodus obliquusPaleobiology DatabaseHow we standardize comparisonsRead the methodology →